


Waves and Hollows, in Miniature

by AppleSoda



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, early kh days spoiler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-27 02:34:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18295106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AppleSoda/pseuds/AppleSoda
Summary: Xion isn’t sure what to do when Roxas is asleep, and finds herself on a distant seashore. On her way home from school, Kairi notices a cloaked figure wandering around the beach, and has a suggestion.





	Waves and Hollows, in Miniature

 

What if he never woke up?

 

Xion wasn’t certain of many things, but at the edge of her consciousness, she mapped out the world of the Organization through a good deal of fear. If a mission wasn’t done to Saix’ standards, there were disciplines, unknown but certain, that lay in wait.

 

“You need to prove yourself, kiddo.” Demyx had said, time and again, though the man never did anything whenever Xion passed him in the hallways of the castle. And she was. She was working as best as she could.She was one of the Keyblade’s chosen, and went out into different worlds to seek the places where darkness pooled in the hearts of denizens.

 

“I _am_ proving myself,” she said, hurrying through the corridors between the Castle and her next destination. But on Xion’s mind was something beyond her mission.

 

Roxas had caught her attention mostly because both of them were on the short side, compared to the other Nobodies. But out of everyone there, he seemed approachable, and wielded the same keyblade as she did. It was no surprise that they had become friendly.

 

But now, he had fallen into a slumber. Somehow, Xion couldn’t shake the feeling that it had been her fault, somehow. Roxas had helped her figure out just how to help her out of a slump of collecting the hearts she needed. In the days that he had been there, Saix was a little less angry. Gone were the expectant, almost annoyed looks that the other members peered at her with.

 

She could see the other end of the portal after walking for a while, and tumbled out of the opening headfirst into sand with the absense of grace, poise, or professionalism. Coughing heavily, Xion got up, and looked around hurriedly to make sure that absolutely no one saw the transgression. She was standing in a beach framed by lush trees and the sound of waves calmly lapping on the shore. Overhead, the sun pierced a cloudless mid-afternoon sky, and despite the heat sinking into her Organization coat, Xion felt happy and comfortable there.

 

“Um, are you…lost?” The red-headed girl was peering at her with concerned blue eyes. She was balancing a basket of fruit on her hip, and was dressed lightly for the summery climate of the world. But the sight of her was familiar, somehow, and Xion couldn’t place exactly why.

 

With her hood down, if they stood side by side, she was certain that they would be difficult to tell apart. And that unsettled Xion to her core.

 

“If I wanted to bring something to a friend who…wasn’t feeling well, what should I take?”

 

The girl paused, thinking about things for a second. “Well, we’re famous for these,” she held up a fruit, which had, for some reason, grown out into the shape of a star. “They have this silly local legend tied to them, but I’m just getting some for a school project. We’re starting a smoothie stand at a fair!” She smiled brightly.

 

“But… I don’t think a sick person would want to risk eating something that makes them feel worse.” She shook her head. They had to find something else.

 

“Wait,” she held up her hand, grinning brightly as the idea came to her suddenly. “How about one of these?” Setting her basket down, she picked up a small, fragile clamshell that lay on the sand. 

 

“A seashell?” Xion asked. She picked up one that looked more interesting than the others, turning it over in her hands. It resembled the shape of a star streaking across the sky, and its edges felt clean and exact in her hands.

 

“Ooh, that’s a nice find.” Evidently, the girl approved of the find “Destiny Islands has a lot of different types of shells you can’t find anywhere else. And if you hold one up to your ear, you can hear the beach, no matter where you go.” A wistful look crosed her face. “It’s kind of like magic, isn’t it?”

 

Magic was something that, to the Organization, only existed in the combat spell drills aimed at honing Xion’s skills with the Keyblade. It was a tool, and yet, in other worlds people could see it as something else.

 

What if what Roxas needed wasn’t what the Organization could bring him? The thought chilled Xion to the bone. They had brought her into their ranks, after all, and such ideas were treasonous and walking on the edge of danger.

 

It was one shell, she decided, perhaps two or three to make the trip worth it. Perhaps they had magic, like the girl said, but a small bit of magic was probably necessary to wake someone up from a mysterious sleep. Quietly, she gathered them in her arms, picking and choosing a few. The other girl picked a few out of the sand as well, to help.

 

“Kaiiiriiiii!” Another voice off in the distance called. “Quit slacking off! We have to go run a test batch for tomorrow!”

 

“Ugh, maybe I _was_ being too bossy about those raft supplies.” With a forelorn expression, Kairi dusted herself up and reluctantly retrieved her basket. “Well, I’m going to have to get going.I hope your friend feels better. It looks like you got enough shells to fill a whole room, and bring the ocean to them.” With a wave and a warm smile, she started back up the hill and was soon out of sight.

 

If there was magic in the little seashells, then Xion was certain that she wanted to be careful how she used them. Left alone on the shore once more, she closed her eyes and held her first star-shaped find to her ear. At first, she heard nothing, but then, next to the sound of the real ocean beside her, there was the steady, quieter lap of waves that felt like almost an exact copy.

 

Something that had gone unsaid was that Roxas was endlessly curious. And if Xion was honest, so was she. The worlds they went to were full of heartless to be taken out, but also horizons to be explored and sights to see. That was what made the Organization’s demands almost worth it in a way.

 

Xion packed away the seashells carefully and looked towards the shore, where the girl had long since vanished off into the small town beyond the beach. Kairi, if she remembered the name right, had a heart that was familiar, but also a sense of optimism that Xion envied a little. The fact that she could make her home near such a wonderful place with seashells, sand and a summer that never seemed to end was something that Xion never knew she wanted. But for some reason, she wanted to spend more time im a place like this. It almost felt like a second home.

 

But with no end in sight for Roxas’ slumber, and ways that Xion stillneeded to prove herself, a little more optimism and a little belief in magic just might be what she needed.


End file.
